The Great Raid

[mpluby]

I just saw The Great Raid (2005) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0326905/) tonight.

I don't even remember this film being released, but a video store guy recommended it to me as a great war film a few months ago.

So I watched it tonight and I'll say that for a movie with no real stars, it is pretty good. The only actors you may have heard of would be Ben Bratt, James Franco and Joseph Fiennes. I'm a big Joe Fiennes fan, but he doesn't fit as well in this war role as he did in Enemy at the Gates (2001) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0215750/).

It is a good small-unit, precision strike story and it involves cooperation across national lines (U.S. and Filipino), so it may hold some appeal for FFL fans. The buildup to the raid is a bit slow, but the raid is intense enough to justify it.

I wouldn't call it a great war film, but I still recommend The Great Raid.

[IFUGAO]

nice action but filipinos too underrepresented.capt. pajota, represented by cesar montano, seemed too a lackey.like they were not the true heroes in there.mcarthur did good but guerilla help was very invaluable.we were dragged into a war we didn't want to take part with.

[mpluby]

nice action but filipinos too underrepresented.capt. pajota, represented by cesar montano, seemed too a lackey.like they were not the true heroes in there.mcarthur did good but guerilla help was very invaluable.we were dragged into a war we didn't want to take part with.

I'd agree the Filipinos were underrepresented in the film, especially since it sounded like they absorbed the bulk of the casualties in the raid. And what they did was even more noble because of the fact that they weren't obligated to assist the Americans in the raid--no Filipino prisoners were being freed and the raid was of little strategic value, especially given that the Japanese were on the verge of being pushed out altogether.